In times of crisis or when a king was too young to rule, the witan may have assumed greater role over government. The witan was consulted when creating law, and it was also the highest court in the land where the king gave final judgment in person. An Anglo-Saxon king was advised by a group of councilors or "wise men" called a witan, composed of lords and church leaders. Prior to the 9th century, England consisted of various Anglo-Saxon kingdoms ruled by kings whose primary role was as warrior and protector of his people. A biblical scene in the Illustrated Old English Hexateuch (11th century), portraying Pharaoh in court session, after passing judgment on his chief baker and chief cupbearer Kingdom of England Anglo-Saxon government (pre-1066) Īn Anglo-Saxon king with his witan. The British constitution is the source of the modern concepts of the rule of law, parliamentary sovereignty and judicial independence and adoption of British constitutional principles propagated their spread around the world. While the United Kingdom remains a unitary state in which Parliament is sovereign, a process of devolution began in the 20th and 21st centuries that saw Parliament restore self-government to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.Īspects of the British constitution were adopted in the constitutions and legal systems of other countries around the world, particularly those that were part of, or formerly part of, the British Empire including the United States and those countries that adopted the Westminster parliamentary system. In 1801, Great Britain and Ireland were joined in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. In 1707, England and Scotland were joined in the Kingdom of Great Britain. While technically a separate state, the Kingdom of Ireland was ruled by the English monarchy.įrom 1603 to 1707, England and the Kingdom of Scotland shared the same monarch as part of the Union of the Crowns however, each nation maintained separate governments. The Kingdom of England conquered Wales in 1283, but it was only later through the Laws in Wales Acts 15 that the country was brought completely under English law. ![]() ![]() ![]() Initially, the constitutional systems of the four constituent countries of the United Kingdom developed separately under English domination. By the 20th century, the British monarchy had become a constitutional and ceremonial monarchy, and Parliament developed into a representative body exercising parliamentary sovereignty. Beginning in the Middle Ages, the constitution developed gradually in response to various crises. The constitution of the United Kingdom is an uncodified constitution made up of various statutes, judicial precedents, convention, treaties and other sources. It is considered the mother of parliaments. The Palace of Westminster was rebuilt in the 1840s and 1850s.
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